Greatest
Matthew 13:31, “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, “eThe kingdom of heaven is like to fa grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, ffit is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that gthe birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.” 1
I. Single
A. Group
B. Grain
II. Seed
A. Mini
B. Many
III. Splendor
A. Beauty
B. Bounty
Introduction: Today we are observing what Merry Oaks Baptist Church calls “Old Fashioned Day.” We celebrate this every year on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Today we will have our dinner together in the Fellowship Hall the way it has been done here for such a long time. The old quilt is hanging in its place of honor as it should. We are remembering.
Last week we observed Veterans Day in our nation. It is a day that we honor those who have served in the Armed Service of our nation, and many are still serving. We honor those who have served on Veterans Day. Re remember those who have gone on who have served on Memorial Day. We celebrate our nation’s independence on the fourth of July each year as remember the signing of “The Declaration of Independence.”
Thanksgiving is the day that we set aside to remember the first harvest when the Native Americans came together to celebrate God’s providence with the new people who came to this country. It was a vast difference from what the immigrants faced in their native land. The Native Americans helped the newcomers to survive, and we are indebted to God that they assisted our ancestors.
Thanksgiving in this nation seems to have been reduced to a middle marker between Halloween and Christmas. My prayer is that we as a nation never forget that we need each other to survive and with God’s providence we will once again be that place where Jew and Gentile will come together to show the world what it means to be One Nation Under God.
We are in the process of learning what Jesus had to say about our eternal home. There are several instances of Jesus instructing the disciples through parables of what heaven will be like. We need to get prepared, and it is good that we hear from Jesus what our eternity will be like.
Last week we talked about planting wheat and having weeds to grow with the wheat. How will they be separated? Should we be separated from those who don’t think as we think? Many questions. Jesus had answers. We will grow together until that day. What Day? God’s day!
Today we will hear from Jesus about faith. We will talk about Mustard Seeds too. We will learn how to start with one tiny thing and see it grow to include many. We will talk about the church. We will talk about heaven. Remember that this is a parable or a simile from Jesus. It is symbolic of something else that it represents or perhaps whom it represents.
Can you as an individual do anything that will continue through the ages? I don’t know about anyone else but this I do know; there are three generations here on this planet now who would not have been here unless God chose to join Rachael and I in marriage all those many years ago.
There are countless people who will not have ever heard who Jesus is had there never been a Merry Oaks Baptist Church with faithful members who gave from the abundance of what God gave to the furtherance of the ministry that began in this place. God is amazing with what He does with something that mankind feels insignificant and non-essential. We are essential to God, and I thank Him that we are still here on another Old-Fashioned Day.
Scripture: The scripture for this message is Matthew 13:31-32. Please Stand Under the reading of God’s word.
Prayer: Please be seated.
Message: Keep your Bible open to Matthew’s gospel and flip over there to Matthew 17:20-21, “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: cfor verily I say unto you, dIf ye have faith as a egrain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto fthis mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 Howbeit this gkind goeth not out but by hprayer and hifasting.” [2]
We remember this as one time that Jesus got a little perturbed with us. Looking back in the text we find Jesus and the three up on the mount of Transfiguration. They had heard the parable about the mustard seed and now they had seen Jesus alongside Elijah and Moses. Jesus was in His glorified body. Jesus was at home!
Now they were down to earth again and Jesus was reminded how weak we are when we are babes in faith. Jesus was homesick, I think… The others could not cast out the demon from this young man. Way back in chapter ten of Matthew we know that Jesus sent them out two by two and they did cast out demons then. What happened? Why do you suppose that Jesus was perturbed? I wonder what He would say to me!
Here in chapter thirteen Jesus told them about faith as small as a mustard seed. Powerful stuff faith! You can move mountains with as little faith as one grain of mustard seed. Powerful faith, powerful seed when planted right.
Some may tire of hearing my flying stories. Indulge me one more… The first time I flew across the mountains of North Carolina I was thinking of this promise from Jesus. Many people even today after all these years are afraid to fly. I don’t have faith in man’s ability to fly. I have faith that God enabled me to learn how.
Jesus’ words are in my mind every time I look down on the mountains that I am flying across. I don’t have to climb you mountain. God has provided me a way to remove my need to climb over you. Faith allowed me to try. Thank you, God.
Grain… The kingdom of God is like to a grain. Not a group. One single grain of seed. Here we are again thinking that we must be in a great big crowd, or we are useless. There is not much that a person can do to feel alone than to be in a little airplane flying in the air across the ground. If you ever want to feel insignificant, try that. It is one thing to be with an instructor learning to fly. Someone is there with you always. When the instructor gets out and you are alone, solo, that is a different feeling. Jesus sent the disciples out for their first time two by two. There was an old Rock and Roll song that I used to sing called, “One is the loneliest number.”
What can a person do all alone? Are we ever all alone? Sometimes it is necessary to get alone so that you can find the truth that you are never alone. Can you imagine what it felt like to be the commander of the spacecraft orbiting the moon while the other two astronauts were walking on the moon together?
I looked up to see what the internet had to say about Apollo Eleven. It highlights Neil Armstrong and Edwin E. (Buzz) Aldrin. They were the first two men to walk on the surface of the moon. There is that third name without highlight. Michael Collins orbited the moon awaiting the return of the other two. Had his mission failed they would have all perished. We forget Michael Collins being all by himself. What kind of faith did Michael Collins have?
Mustard seed… Least of all seeds… Mini, not many. One individual grain. So, what can I do. Nobody in my family truly believes. My parents don’t believe me when I sing Jesus loves me this I know, so what can I do? I think of that child who has a grandfather who is a pastor and a father who has rebelled all his life against everything that his parents have tried to teach him. What is that grandchild to do? Have faith as small as a mustard seed and watch it grow. It might even reach your parents. Your faith may be small now. When we first believe we are small in faith. Jesus knows that! Oh, but when it grows. Oh, how marvelous indeed.
But when it is grown… One thing in this text that’s not specifically in the outline; herbs… What do cooks do with herbs? Herbs change the flavor of the food. Spaghetti without a little basil is sort of bland. Throw some basil and you just might run out of spaghetti sauce. The mustard seed is the greatest of all herbs. What is a hot dog without mustard?
Enough about food. We’ll have plenty in just a few minutes. Let’s get back to faith… That song, “He left the splendor of heaven.” Dottie Rambo said another mouthful in that song. If a mustard seed can grow so large that the birds of the air will come and lodge there, think about the slender of Heaven. How huge and beautiful and marvelous heaven is with more than we can ever imagine. That is our bounty. Because Jesus is our Lord.
Prayer:
Invitation: Jesus said this is what the Kingdom of Heaven is like and then He went on to explain what faith can do. Many have a concept of faith that is foreign to Jesus. Many feel that faith means that whatever you imagine is right will be given to you if you are persistent in your insistence. That is not faith. That is not living in the Kingdom of God.
We learn true faith from Jesus as He was praying in the garden of Gethsemane, “Not my will but thine be done.” If a person insists that they must live life in the way they imagine life without ever waking up in the morning in need of searching the Bible for God’s answers, they will not find God’s answers.
Jesus used the scripture to find the answers to life problems. How can we imagine that we will find God unless we search for Him. If you search for Him, He will be found by you, but you must search. Do you care what heaven is like? It is written and you can trust God with all that He created.
The Kingdom of God is with you when you have faith in God no matter what God sends your way, and He will send things until you finally know that it is His sovereignty and not yours that counts. Do you want to find the Kingdom of God? Trust God. Stop leaning on your understanding of life. Stand under His authority for your life.
Enoch walked with God and God gave took Him on the eternal walk. Walk with God and all He has will be yours. Otherwise, you are still standing on your own.
Can you have faith without The Kingdom of God, NO! Accept Him today in a real way and let this day not be an old-fashioned day anymore but His new day of having His way with you. Trust Him with a little and watch it turn into His greatness. Be thankful that He is God alone.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Mt 13:31–32). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
e Ver. 31, 32, Mark 4:30–32. Luke 13:18, 19. g So Ps. 104:12.
f ch. 17:20. Luke 17:6.
ff Gk. as Mark 4:32.
g So Ps. 104:12.
c ch. 21:21. Mark 11:23.
d Luke 17:6. So ch. 13:58. John 11:40. 1 Cor. 12:9. & 13:2.
e See ch. 13:31.
f ver. 9.
g So 1 Cor. 12:10, 28. & 14:10.
h Acts 13:3. 1 Cor. 7:5. So Luke 2:37.
h Acts 13:3. 1 Cor. 7:5. So Luke 2:37.
i ch. 6:16, 17, 18. & 9:15. Acts 13:2. & 14:23. 2 Cor. 6:5. & 11:27.
[2] Ibid., Mt 17:20–21). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
